PMP, Scrum, Six Sigma, PMI-ACP.

what value can Scrum Certifications add to Project Management Skills?

Do you hope to manage projects yourself, or to help others to self-manage their work each Sprint?

@Ian Mitchell - Thank you! 

As of now manage Projects by myself. Going forward (in a few years time with good Project experiences under my belt) would want to become a coach / advisor to teams, without getting involved in day-to-day micros. 

My thought right now is to broaden the set of skill sets related to Project Management, Improvements. However, as a newbie to this field, felt like taking some advice from the more seasoned ones.   

In Scrum the most important project is the Sprint, because that is the project which allows empiricism to be established and maintained. A Sprint isn't something you'd ever manage by yourself. The relevant experience to get is more to do with servant leadership than anything else.

I have multiple certifications from Scrum.org.  The reason I got them was purely personal. I wanted to test my knowledge of the Scrum framework. I honestly don't care what others think of them. 

I have worked in software development for almost 40 years. I have done everything there is to do in that industry. In almost all of my roles I have had some work involving project management but I have not felt the personal need to get any of the project management certifications. 

Now, notice that I said I have multiple Scrum.org certifications. I also said that I have not felt the need to get any project management certifications.  That is because the Scrum framework has nothing to do with project management. It is a framework that enables organizations to use empirical practices to improve their ability to adapt to change as change occurs. It emphasizes self-organization, self-management, and self-improvement. The focus of the Scrum framework is to deliver value continuously and often in order to gain feedback on what else needs to be done. It does not focus on dates or deadlines. 

Much of what you learn from the Scrum framework is opposed to things you learn from project management methodologies.  Some of the things you have in project management methodologies can be used within the Scrum framework but none of it should impact the organizations ability to self-manage, self-organize, and self-direct in order to produce value. 

If you take all of this into account as you learn the Scrum framework, then getting certifications could be useful. But I would recommend that the certifications you get come from Scrum.org directly. They are the only place that I have found that provide certifications that test your knowledge of the Scrum framework as it is defined in the Scrum Guide.  Other places tend to test knowledge of their variations and definitions of Scrum. 

As the official Scrum Guide (https://scrumguides.org/scrum-guide.html)  states:

Scrum is free and offered in this Guide. The Scrum framework, as outlined herein, is immutable. While implementing only parts of Scrum is possible, the result is not Scrum. Scrum exists only in its entirety and functions well as a container for other techniques, methodologies, and practices.

I have bot the ACP and various PSM certs. The ACP covers multiple Agile approaches (Scrum, Kanban, XP, Lean, etc.), not just Scrum. If your org blends Agile and traditional project management, ACP might be the way to go. If you want to be the jack of all trades, master of none, then that is also a consideration.

If your org will use Scrum and you want to become a Scrum Master, go for the PSM certs, as you will dive deeper into Scrum. To be honest most teams calling themselves 'Agile' use Scrum (or parts of it), surveys show.

I've never had an employer care about the ACP, if you are looking to be marketable.

As others eluded, the Scrum Master is not a Project Manager.

Which ever path you choose I'm sure you'll learn a lot of new skills, regardless.

Wishing you all the best!

With the PMP, the PMI-ACP and PSM (or PSPO) complement each other very well. I hold the PMI-ACP and PSM, and I am currently studying for the PMP.

Although the PMP includes a significant Agile component, I believe the PMI-ACP or PSM gives a broader and deeper overview of Agile (Scrum) principles and practices. Traditional project managers often struggle with Agile, so I see a dedicated Agile certification as almost essential in today’s mixed-approach environments.

Personally, I find Scrum and the PSM particularly valuable because of Scrum’s simplicity and its lightweight, easy-to-apply framework. I wouldn’t say one must be taken before the other, but PSM focuses closely on the 13-page Scrum Guide and is an excellent entry point before pursuing the PMI-ACP. While Agile has a vast body of knowledge, the Scrum Guide distils it to the essentials, with a strong emphasis on empowerment and decentralised decision-making—concepts that are both advanced and crucial in Agile and Scrum. 

I'm an ITIL4 Master and SAFe SPC. I also have Prince2 certifications and many more.

Anyways, it's not about certifications per se, it's more about the knowledge from this or that Body of Knowledge.

If you think that Scrum knowledge from I suppose Scrum org is worth your while then go for it.

Just be mindful that it's a particular model, so a simplified representation of some reality that may or may not be compliant with what other BoKs are telling you about Scrum or Agile or whatnots.